Hi ladies,
We got married in the UK recently and I wanted to do welcome bags as all guests were coming from the US (including us, the B&G). This turned out to be a tremendous undertaking with so many variables, given us not being there until 5 days prior to the wedding. As a result, I paid our wedding coordinator to accept deliveries for the items, assemble them all, do name tags and deliver them to each hotel (we had asked for each guest/couple to provide their selected hotel on the rsvp). Most people LOVED the bags, but my dad was indifferent (that’s men for you!).
For those who chose/are choosing not to do welcome bags, what was the reasoning? Was it cost related (and did you rule them out before doing research)? Or did you just not think it was necessary/don’t care for them?
Bag details:Contents -- local chocolate bar- local seasoning mix (to bring local flavor home)- local dried cheese crisps- under eye gel masks- ear plugs- hand sanitizer - rehydrate powder- mini whisky bottles- welcome letter with wedding events schedule, local things to do and see, restaurants nearby, etc.- gold bags - black ribbons- name tagsThe photo does not depict just how big the bags were though! I had 4 pieces of tissue paper per bag, and they used it on the bottle so that the contents wouldn’t rattle around. I should have bought more of that, but thought that it would be enough. The bags were so big because I was worried about fitting everything in them! It worked out fine, but planning everything on the internet made it difficult without being able to see them prior and make changes.
Cost -I ended up spending over $30 a bag because it was last minute (although buying in bulk saved me a lot!). This does not include the coordinators fee for services and delivery!
Where I bought the contents from -- variety of local stores with online purchasing- online pharmacy- Amazon (I was really trying to avoid Amazon, but time constraints and not trusting Etsy [I've had too many fraud experiences on there], really limited my options. I just didn’t have the time to wait for fulfillment/shipping at some small stores with stuff I would have liked to have used. The UK also doesn’t seem to have caught on to the welcome bags theme. I really struggled to find a one stop shop for the generic items that go into welcome bags (the non-local stuff).
I am wanting to know what the experience was like for other brides when buying bag contents from here instead. My friend is getting married and is asking me questions about our bags, but other than suggestions of contents, I can’t give her other info about sourcing in the US. Has anyone found a one stop shop where you can source welcome boxes and contents? I am not talking about the pre-made boxes on Etsy, unless they are truly customizable (like where you can add more stuff in the box/bag).
Thanks so much! I look forward to hearing your answers and where you went with your bag ideas! Sorry for the long post!!!
